by Serena | Dec 7, 2023 | beginners, Italian grammar
Some Italian -ire verbs (third conjugation) follow a special pattern in the present tense: they add -isc- between the stem and the ending. Verbs like finire, capire and pulire insert -isc- in four forms: io, tu, lui/lei and loro. The noi and voi forms stay completely...
by Serena | Dec 7, 2023 | beginners, Italian grammar
Present Tense of ‘parlare’ (regular verb) IoparloI speakTuparliYou speak (singular, informal)Lui/LeiparlaHe/She speaksNoiparliamoWe speakVoiparlateYou speak (plural)LoroparlanoThey speakconjugation of “are verbs” with the present tense Why...
by Serena | Dec 6, 2023 | Italian grammar, parole difficili
If you’re learning Italian, you’ve probably heard the words basta, abbastanza, or mi basta. They look and sound similar, but they actually have different meanings and uses. 1. What Does “Basta” Mean in Italian? The...
by Serena | Dec 6, 2023 | vocabulary, Italian grammar
Cioè is one of those words Italians throw into conversation all the time. It can take different translations in English depending on the context, but it always does the same job: it adds, clarifies or corrects something that was just said. In short Cioè (pronounced...
by Serena | Dec 6, 2023 | vocabulary, intermediate, Italian grammar
When expressing how long something takes in Italian, we use either “ci vuole” or “ci metto,” but they function differently. Volerci Volerci is a verb with two main meanings: To take time – It expresses how much time is required for...
by Serena | Dec 6, 2023 | intermediate, Italian grammar
Senti! Guarda! Dai, vieni! Spend a day in Italy and you’ll hear the imperative everywhere: at the market, in the kitchen, on the phone, between friends. Many of my English-speaking students are afraid it sounds rude, so they avoid it. Good news: in Italian, the...
